Colorado Avalanche left wing Cody McLeod (55) and Chicago Blackhawks defenseman David Rundblad (5) battle for the puck behind the Blackhawks’ goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015, in Chicago. (Charles Rex Arbogast, The Associated Press)

CHICAGO — Greetings from the frigid cold. Minus fourth-line forward Cody McLeod, the Avalanche had a brief hop at the United Center, and the morning skate report is here. Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews took the morning skate off but is expected to play against the Avs.

Avs coach Patrick Roy and GM Joe Sakic played shinny after the morning skates, along with assistant coaches Tim Army, Andre Tourigny and Mario Duhamel and goalie Reto Berra and defenseman Zach Redmond. Sakic was the last one off the ice.

Here’s my Monday post-practice online story, taking a look at the Avalanche goaltending plans for the near future. In other words, it’s Varlamov every night for the short term, until next week’s long road trip, but then what?

That included one shining opportunity early in the game, just minutes after Iginla’s unassisted opener 30 seconds in. O’Reilly won the puck in the Blue Jackets’ zone, then back-handed a pass from the corner to Iginla, whose shot went just wide.

Well, much to my chagrin, the NHL hasn’t banned morning skates since my previous stint covering the Avalanche and the league, so I was at the Pepsi Center Sunday morning as Colorado looked ahead to its 6 p.m. game against Columbus.

Patrick Roy said he would use the same lineup as he had against Edmonton Friday, meaning Zach Redmond would be the healthy scratch. He added he would tinker, putting rookie winger Borna Rendulic with Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog.

“I liked his speed and size,” Roy said of Rendulic, who got his first career goal against the Flyers on New Year’s Eve.

Roy added Nathan MacKinnon would be at left wing with John Mitchell and Danny Briere. Also: Alex Tanguay/Ryan O’Reilly/Jarome Iginla and Max Talbot/Marc-Andre Cliche/Cody McLeod.

Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks controls the puck along the boards against Tyler Ennis of the Buffalo Sabres at First Niagara Center on March 9, 2014 in Buffalo, New York. (Sean Rudyk, Getty Images)

Spotlight on… Duncan Keith, defenseman, Blackhawks

When: The Avalanche interrupts a stretch of five home games with one at the United Center in Chicago on Tuesday. The Blackhawks are 2-0 against Colorado this season, and this will be their first meeting in Chicago.

What’s up: Keith is what every team covets, a brilliant defenseman who rarely makes poor decisions and is equally good in all three zones. In the past five NHL seasons, Keith has twice won the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman, including last summer.

Matt Duchene setup the Avalanche’s goal and improved to 4-of-7 in shootouts in 2-1 shootout victory over Edmonton:

Matt Duchene played 18:31 in Friday’s 2-1 shootout victory over the Edmonton Oilers and had an assist and the shootout-winning goal. In a tight, low-scoring affair, Duchene made the Avs’ two most important plays — his assist gift-wrapped a goal for Danny Briere. But Duchene has not scored in regulation or overtime in nine consecutive games.

“I’m not too worried about it,” he told me after the Avs improved to 15-15-8, which is 15-23 based on wins (two points) and losses (regulation, overtime or SO). “Other than now, I thought I was scoring pretty consistently this season, and this happens. I went through it last year too. If we lose I worry more about it but after back-to-back wins, that’s all that matters.”

Duchene’s 10 goals on the season are tied with Erik Johnson for second on the team. Duchene produced just one shot for the fourth consecutive game but his minutes were the most in his last seven games, and again, he made the two key plays that made Colorado 6-2-2 in its last 10 games. Duchene’s four SO goals are tied for third most in the NHL, and his 57.7 SO percentage is tied for fifth.

In general, the Avs were the better team through 40 minutes but Edmonton dominated the third, producing 12 of 15 shots. In the end, shots were 28-28.

“I thought we could have been up by two or three goals after the second period. We had plenty of good chances and opportunities,” Avs coach Patrick Roy said. “I just feel that we’re tight around the net. We should be more relaxed, looser and taking a split-second more to take a better shot. It’s sad in some ways that we’re not as confident as we should be in the net, and tonight it proved it.”

Loose pucks: The Avs are 5-2 in shootouts, after beginning 0-2. … Jarome Iginla appeared in his 1,348th career game, tying Marcel Dionne for 47th on the NHL’s all-time games played list. Iginla’s 569 career goals is 21st all-time, just four behind Mike Bossy for 20th. … Goalie Semyon Varlamov secured his 85th victory for the Avs, surpassing Stephane Fiset (84) for fifth place in team history. Varly is 77-of-104 in shootouts (.740 percent, 20-13 overall).

Avalanche winger Daniel Briere fell to the ice Wednesday in a collision with Philadelphia defenseman Michael Del Zotto, and Briere’s skate blade caught Del Zotto in the neck, causing a nasty gash that required 18 stitches. Del Zotto returned to the game but was limited to 11 minutes in Colorado’s 4-3 overtime victory.

After practice Thursday, Briere recalled the dangerous play. He said he heard Del Zotto “yelp” when the blade made contact with his neck, and Del Zotto immediately asked Briere “if it was bad.” Briere could see a red mark, but no blood. However, when Del Zotto looked the other way, the red mark opened up to a large gash, and Briere told him to skate to the bench. It was a slow-bleeding wound, which is why most of us didn’t see blood and and believe it was serious. Briere is obviously thankful his blade didn’t sever a major artery.

Meanwhile, forwards Cody McLeod and Jesse Winchester and defenseman Erik Johnson did not practice Thursday. McLeod and Johnson took maintenance days, and Winchester is being shut down. The first-year Av who suffered a preseason concussion and has yet to play a game with the team continues to have vision and sickness problems when he skates at an NHL arena or walks into a grocery story. He’s fine when he skates at Colorado’s practice facility but his world dramatically changes in other confined spaces with complex and colorful landmarks.

For now, Winchester’s only physical activity will be off-ice workouts, coach Patrick Roy said. That decision — as well as long-term injuries to two fellow forwards Jamie McGinn (back) and Patrick Bordeleau (knee) and Roy’s choice to not use a defenseman to round out the forwards corps — will keep rookie Borna Rendulic in Denver. Rendulic, 22, was recalled from the minors Tuesday and became the first Croatian-born player to score an NHL goal Wednesday, and although he was playing with Ryan O’Reilly and Gabe Landeskog at the time, the rookie will return to the fourth line Friday against the visiting Edmonton Oilers.

More on that in Sunday’s editions. Rendulic, playing outside Croatia for the first time, has a unique story that needs special Sunday attention.

Winchester’s story begs sympathy. The Avs had legitimate plans for this guy to solidify the third- and fourth-lines when they signed him as an unrestricted free agent last summer. But after the fluke play that resulted in his preseason concussion at Calgary, Winchester’s head won’t stop rattling. He’s ill, and previously told me he feels, in words that I can use, like a frightful cat. His quality of life is poor and he doesn’t even feel like he’s part of the team.

“We just feel there’s not enough improvement so we prefer he stays away from the ice,” Roy said of Winchester, a Colgate graduate who previously played with Ottawa and Florida. “Right now, he’s frustrated about the situation — everybody is — and we don’t see enough improvement. He’s doing really well when he skates here (at the practice rink) but for some reason when he goes to the grocery story or (NHL arenas) he does not feel well. He’s in super shape and doing everything he can, but I think it’s time for him to stay away from the rink and work out in the gym. It’s just a change of how we’re going to proceed.”

Jarome Iginla scored a nifty power-play goal at 12:48 of the third period to force overtime:

In a game between two proud teams with just 34 points, the Avalanche blew a 2-1 third-period lead but rallied for a 4-3 overtime victory over the Philadelphia Flyers at the Pepsi Center on the last night of 2014. With a tight deadline, my story heading into the third period was about the Avs’ high-priced forwards again not getting it done, and with two unsuspecting guys without an NHL goal on the season — defenseman Nate Guenin and rookie F Borna Rendulic — lighting the lamp to fuel the victory. But after Vincent Lacavalier and Claude Giroux made great plays/shots to give the Flyers a 3-2 lead, the frantic running game story that’s filed before or at the buzzer turned to this: Patrick Roy’s outspoken frustration about his top forwards continues.

However, Jarome Iginla forced my third re-write with a spectacular shot on a late power play and adjustments were made after Ryan O’Reilly’s overtime goal with 19.9 seconds remaining before the shootout. Avs win, fueled by their top-scoring forwards! The hastily written game story (filed at the buzzer with quotes from the locker room added) is here, although you might find significant information is below. Such as:

— Iginla, Rendulic, O’Reilly and defenseman Jan Hejda — who blocked two shots, the latter while “selling” out in a sideways position that often causes injury — were the last players to take off their equipment and join their teammates in the suit-and-tie room that’s off-limits to the media. This is what happens when a team victory occurs, with multiple guys playing big roles. They take their time getting their skates and other equipment off, and are easily approachable even after they had talked in a media scrum. It was like last season.

Ryan O’Reilly scored his fifth career regular season OT goal (plus one in the playoffs) and his five OT winners rank fourth on the franchise’s all-time list:

— By all accounts, this was a good victory over a good opponent. Philly had lost its two previous games but had collected points in nine of 10 before that. Iginla talked extensively about the similarities and urgency with both teams. “Both teams are in similar positions, both are desperate, we need to move up,” Iggy said. “In the third, getting behind, it was good to stick with it and find a way to score some goals as a team. It’s been tight for us. Good way to end the year.”

— Through an Altitude producer, I learned Michael Del Zotto indeed suffered a nasty gash from his left ear to his cheek from Daniel Briere’s skate blade, and was evaluated and took stitches in the X-ray room after the first period. Apparently, the cut didn’t immediately bleed, which is why we thought it wasn’t serious. Altitude did a post-game interview with Del Zotto, and although I can’t locate it, his gash is significant and another reminder of how dangerous this game can be. Del Zotto was seriously cut in the chest/stomach by Evgeni Malkin’s skate blade in 2010, while playing for the New York Rangers.

— Matt Duchene continues to be the most frustrated Av. The first-line center extended his goalless drought to eight games, and has just two in his last 13. He had just one shot in 17:20 against Philly. “It’s not an easy situation for Dutchy but I’m very confident (in his resolve),” Roy said. “He’s working hard at it. Every day he comes to the rink, he’s asking questions, he does a lot of video with (Timmy) Army and I. He really wants to perform well. He’s the heart of this organization and that logo. He’s playing with a lot of pride and unfortunately for him it’s not going his way.”

— Here’s what Hejda said about his two late blocked shots: “It’s something you have to do in the playoffs, and this is the playoffs for us.”

— Guenin, on his “magic” shot that went through three Flyers and two teammates before landing in the net behind goalie Steve Mason: “I was trying to get the first guy to bite and then get it through. It worked.”

— To “Joe,” the guy who approached my son and gave him a complimentary fourth-row seat in section 120 while he was prepared to buy a $40 ticket and sit by himself: Please email me, I’d like to thank you and wish you happy New Year.

In my buzzer-running game story before heading to the locker room, I focused on the horrendous second-period start (Paul Stastny-assisted goals at 22 seconds and 4:30), plus the bad third period in which Colorado allowed two breakaways and Vladimir Tarasenko’s goal off an unsightly turnover. After the first period, the Avs were extremely leaky defensively. But the write-thru has Roy blasting his top-nine forwards (or eight). Thirty-somethings Alex Tanguay and Jarome Iginla have three goals apiece in their last 10 games. But it’s primarily the younger guys that aren’t getting it done.

You may have noticed I never write “getting back to .500″ or the like when it comes to NHL standings, and I try not to use quotes from players or coaches. Because the Avs, at 13-14-8, are far from .500 when it comes to actual wins and losses. In reality, they are 13-22. Thirteen times they have skated off with two points, and 22 times they have skated off with a point (OTL) or none (L).

The NHL wants you to think teams are better than they are, so it counts a overtime/shootout win as a “W” and an OT/SO loss basically as a tie. Example: two of St. Louis’ “wins” came over Colorado in a shootout and overtime, but the Avs were given a point apiece in the “tie” column. Thus, the Blues are 2-1-0 (four points) against the Avs this season, but Colorado is 1-0-2 (four points) against St. Louis. Bottom line is, the current standings are better than the four-column format the league formerly used, but the “.500″ thing is incorrect.

Tonight’s lines, D-pairings etc. at St. Louis:
Talbot-Duchene-MacKinnon
Landeskog-O’Reilly-Briere
Tanguay-Mitchell-Iginla
McLeod-Cliche-Holden
(Note: Holden will again play some F, some D)

Hejda-Johnson
Guenin-Barrie
Stuart-Redmond

Varlamov
Berra

Healthy scratches: none
Injured on trip: F Winchester

Noteworthy: Ryan O’Reilly required stitches above his left eye after taking a Chicago stick in the face when he was down on the ice during a 5-on-3 power play late in Saturday’s 5-2 loss to the Blackhawks. … In the last six games against Colorado, St. Louis forwards T.J. Oshie (1-6-7), Vladimir Tarasenko and Alex Steen (3-1-4) have been hot. … Blues forward Jaden Schwartz of Colorado College remains out with injury. … St. Louis placed forward Magnus Paajarvi, 23, on waivers Monday. Paajarvi was the 10th overall pick in the 2009 draft, by Edmonton.

Pickard was playing so well for the Avs — their 5-2 loss to the Blackhawks on Saturday wasn’t really on him — that Roy was able to show some patience. He gave No. 1 goalie Semyon Varlamov more time to heal a groin injury.

And even though Pickard jumped from the minor-league development stage to a solid replacement role as the Avs’ part-time No. 1, it doesn’t mean he was meant for the NHL in the immediate. His drop back to Lake Erie was less a demotion and more a correction — he’s back where he was planned to be. Pickard’s time will come with the Avs (maybe still this season).

ST. LOUIS, MO. — The Avalanche’s Erik Johnson has 10 goals, tied for most among NHL defensemen, and also tied with Matt Duchene for second on the team, two behind leader Alex Tanguay. Johnson is 10-10-20 and minus-1 in 34 games. More on that below.

The Avs practiced Sunday in Centennial before traveling here. Nick Groke’s recap from practice looks at the American Hockey League reassignments for goalie Calvin Pickard and forward Dennis Everberg. Those moves trim the available roster to just 20 (11 forwards, seven defenseman), but D Nick Holden is expected to again play a fourth-line forward role Monday against the Blues in St. Louis. Forward Jesse Winchester remains out with post-concussion symptoms, with no improvement during the past two weeks. He’s very frustrated.

Johnson, 26, is feeling it. He scored again Saturday, in his fourth consecutive game, tying Sandis Ozolinsh (1995) for the Colorado consecutive-game streak for a blue liner. Johnson’s 10 goals on the season is one more than he had in 80 games last season, and ties his career high, set in 2009-10 when he was with the Blues (79 games). EJ is scoring like a forward, but playing like a D-man. His average ice time of 24:09 leads the team and is 23rd highest in the league. Of course, Johnson was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 draft, by St. Louis.Read more…

Evolving game story, filed before the final buzzer with quotes to be added, is here.

The Chicago Blackhawks went 2-of-4 on the power play in 6:31, and the Avs were 0-of-3 in 5:20 with the advantage, including a 40-second 5-on-3. Generally, that’s the difference in Chicago’s 5-2 triumph at the Pepsi Center. Colorado had its three-game winning streak snapped, as well as its six-game points streak. Patrick Kane scored an empty-netter with 6 seconds remaining for a three-point night. But make no mistake, the Avs are finally stringing together some solid end-to-end games. Their breakouts are relatively clean and they’re moving the puck into the offensive zone and sustaining pressure.

The morning skate report will soon post at www.denverpost.com/avalanche, where all your Avs news can be found. The Avalanche will use the same lineup from Tuesday’s 5-0 rout over St. Louis on Saturday night against the Chicago Blackhawks, except rookie goalie Calvin Pickard will start in net.

Some observations: Teenager Nathan MacKinnon, who is eligible to play for Canada in the World Junior Championship, hasn’t scored a regulation or overtime goal in 16 consecutive games. But he’s going to the net more, after being switched from the second-line center to the first-line right wing. With his amazing speed, MacKinnon is drawing penalties more than he has all season, including twice at Detroit last Sunday. He said playing wing and not having the center’s responsibilities allows him “to cheat a little bit” and put more of the defensive burden on center Matt Duchene and left winger Max Talbot. As for skipping the WJC for the second consecutive year, MacKinnon said: “That’s a junior tournament and I feel like I belong in the NHL. I wouldn’t mind being there but I’d rather be here.” MacKinnon represented Canada at the 2013 WJC as one of two 17-year-olds on the team, so it’s not like his NHL commitment has erased his opportunity to represent his country at the world’s premier under-20 showcase. … Avs defenseman Erik Johnson has nine goals, matching what he produced in 80 games last season. EJ is tied for fourth among NHL goal-scoring D, just one behind Mark Giordano (CAL), Brent Burns (SJS) and Dennis Wideman (CAL).

Avs defenseman Erik Johnson has five goals in his last five games, including one apiece in the last three:

Will Butcher, playing as a defenseman on Oct. 11, 2013, for the University of Denver. (Karl Gehring, The Denver Post)

Merry Christmas! The Avalanche is off until Saturday’s morning skate at the Pepsi Center, with the Chicago Blackhawks on tap. So not much happening with the Avs or around the roster-frozen NHL for a few days. However, there’s plenty of interesting stuff surrounding the 2015 World Junior Championship, which begins Friday in Montreal and Toronto.

But first, a turkey tale: the second career MC-cooked turkey for the family went pretty well on Christmas Eve. But it came out a little salty, and I’m thinking one pound of Kosher salt, instead of one cup, was too much. But the awesome brine that included the salt, brown surgery, honey, soy sauce, peppercorns, garlic cloves and rosemary in boiling, and then chilled, water, led to a fabulously moist bird, which I oven-cooked with onions, more garlic gloves, lemons, and more rosemary. As my mother pointed out, I did not sew the turkey shut and pull the legs together, but overall, it was a ton of fun to cook for the family after all the years of being a spectator.

Best part of my Christmas: my 15-year-old son, Anthony, skated with my buddies and I at a special holiday hop, a thrill for a proud single-child father like me.

In Friday’s paper and online we will have story about University of Denver sophomore defenseman Will Butcher of Sun Prairie, Wis., heading into the start of the 2015 WJC in Montreal and Toronto. Butcher is a top-four D for Denver and Team USA and is the only Avalanche-drafted participant in the world’s premier under-20 tournament. He is among six veterans from the 2014 team that went 3-1 in Sweden before being ousted in the quarterfinals by Russia.

“He’ll run the first power play and play a lot, definitely top-four (D-man),” DU coach Jim Montgomery told me.

The 10-team WJC has the U.S. and Canada in Group A, along with Finland, Germany and Slovakia. Group B consists of the Czech Republic, Denmark, Russia, Sweden and Switzerland. The entire WJC schedule is here

Should Avs fans be excited about Butcher, 19, who was selected in the fifth round (123rd overall) in 2011? Montgomery, a former NCAA/NHL forward, is the expert on that.

“Yes, Avalanche fans should be excited about him possibly playing for them. He has an NHL mind — vision and poise — and how he breaks pucks out is top-notch. Key question for a smaller young defenseman — just like Tyson Barrie — is will he be able to defend against bigger, stronger players? But, yes, he can he play on an NHL power play and do a lot of other things well.”

Butcher is listed at 5-foot-10, 200 pounds, but Montgomery said he’s down to 182 pounds and quicker than last year. He’s somewhat heavy-legged.

“He’s not a burner. He’s not below-average (skater) but he’s average,” Montgomery said. “In the NHL usually the defensemen who play are the ones that can fly. He doesn’t fly. But Will Butcher needs to play for a coach who appreciates his moxie, and his ability to make plays — break out clean and make plays in the offensive zone and on the power play.”

Montgomery’s guess is, there’s a 75 percent chance Butcher plays four years at DU, and 25 percent he plays just three. But the coach doesn’t expect him to sign after this season.

“Just really depends on the Avs, where they’re at, with their D-corp and depth as an organization,” Montgomery said. “He wants to be a pro, he’s very determined, and practices like a pro. He’s always ready to go.”

The main story line at the WJC is Canada’s Connor McDavid vs. the Americans’ Jack Eichel. McDavid is expected to be the first or second overall pick in the upcoming NHL draft, with the same being said about Eichel.

Fourth-liner Patrick Bordeleau will miss his 33rd game after playing his first of the season Saturday at Buffalo. Bordeleau was on the ice as that game ended but apparently suffered a fractured kneecap at some point during the game. He’ll miss 8-10 weeks, coach Patrick Roy said.

The Avs’ center moved to 4-for-4 in shootout attempts this season. But Sunday’s might be his best this year.

He slow-played Red Wings goalie Petr Mrazek. It was like a staring-contest to see who would fidget first. MacKinnon waited until the last second. It was impressive. Here’s the full video of his goal with the Altitude call from Mike Haynes and Peter McNab. Or check it out below.

Mackinnon told Mike Chambers that “back in the day” he would use that move most of the season because many amateur teams didn’t suspect it. It’s not quite a wrist shot because he snaps it. It’s more a flip of the wrist. A snapper. Or a flipper.

Avalanche rookie goalie has allowed just two goals in his last 10 (regulation) periods:

DETROIT — Please see the previous blog about the Avalanche goaltending situation. After this 2-1 win at Detroit, Calvin Pickard has established himself as one of the NHL’s best goaltenders or just one of the luckiest. In nearly 758 minutes played, Pickard has the NHL’s second-highest save percentage (.939) and seventh-lowest goals-against average (2.06). He’s really become a big national story, but a treasure that will step aside for the Avs upon Semyon Varlamov’s likely return Tuesday.

The evolving game story looks at Pickard’s 34 regulation/OT saves and five sudden-death stops (seven total) in the nine-round shootout.

The Avs only score one regulation goal in two games on this three-game road trip, but come away with five of six points (including 1-0 OT loss at Pittsburgh, 5-1 win at Buffalo).Read more…

Behind the scenes video of Joe Louis Arena and Patrick Roy interview by former Denver TV talent John Keating:

DETROIT — Avalanche coach Patrick Roy did a pregame presser and told me goalie Semyon Varlamov — who skated and took shots Sunday at Joe Louis Arena — will likely start Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues at the Pepsi Center. Roy said he’s “95 percent” sure that will be the case, but the team will decide Monday. Rookie sensation Calvin Pickard, meanwhile, will not go from Detroit to Cleveland after the game, Roy said, and will remain with the team for the immediate future, instead of rejoining Lake Erie of the American Hockey League.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The evolving game story is here. I’m on an early flight to Detroit on Sunday, another gameday, so I’ll make this quick.

The sweet sound of loud music in the postgame locker room brought back memories of last season on the road, when the Avalanche went 26-11-4 (identical to its home record). The music was blaring, nobody was hiding, everyone was in a good mood and excited about the next game. The Avs — who absolutely miss center John Mitchell — simply worked Buffalo at First Niagara Center, even though they were outshot for the 21st time in 32 games. Mitchell between Alex Tanguay (two goals, assist) and Jarome Iginla (two assists) clicked really well and the Matt Duchene-centered line with Max Talbot (assist) and Nathan MacKinnon (assist) were dominant in puck possession and forcing turnovers. Ryan O’Reilly set up Cody McLeod’s shorthanded goal and the Avs scored in every situation (power play, shorthanded, even strength, empty-net).

Colorado’s consistent pressure in the Sabres’ end and three goals scored off transition were the main differences. Really, the Avs beat the Sabres like they’ve been beaten too often this year. Colorado might have had more time in the opponent’s end than in any game this season.

Terry Frei graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in the Denver area and has degrees in history and journalism from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He worked for the Rocky Mountain News while attending CU and joined the Post staff after graduation. He has also worked at the Oregonian in Portland, Ore., and The Sporting News. His seventh book, March 1939: Before the Madness, was issued in February 2014.

Chambers covers college and professional hockey for The Denver Post. He has written for the Post since 1994, after dumping his first 9-to-5 office job a couple years out of college. He primarily follows the University of Denver hockey team and helps cover the Avalanche.